[](https://www.nytimes.com/by/reid-j-epstein) By [Reid J. Epstein](https://www.nytimes.com/by/reid-j-epstein) Tim Walz is going to bring big Midwestern dad energy to the presidential campaign. Minnesota’s governor won’t deliver a key state or bring key policy experience that Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, lacks. She picked him to run as her vice president for one reason above all others: His biography and his demeanor make him a familiar figure for voters who might not be attracted to a Black and South Asian woman from California. The Walz vibes are very different from those of recent top-of-the-ticket Democrats. The party is used to national candidates who’ve spent decades, if not their entire lives, preparing for the big stage. Walz was teaching social studies and geography, not climbing the ladder, 20 years ago. In the last two weeks, as Harris shortlisted him to be her running mate, Walz referred to himself privately as “the dog that caught the car,” seemingly shocked by his own luck. Walz is a former small-town high school football coach who spends his free time hunting and fishing. He wears a camouflage hat while campaigning and speaks with the nasal accent native to the Upper Midwest. I grew up in Central Illinois and spent years living and working in Wisconsin. Hearing Walz speak reminds me of what it sounds like to hear another English speaker while traveling abroad — a familiar, comforting sound. “He brings with him a vast understanding of the Midwest,” Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota told me yesterday. “This will be a vice president who has stood in deer stands in the middle of 10-degree weather and has fished across Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.” Walz has had a bit of a journey on the ideological spectrum. He was first elected to Congress as a moderate who represented a rural district. While he was a reliable vote for the House Democrats’ agenda, Walz received A ratings from the National Rifle Association and didn’t present himself as a cultural progressive. In 2016, he won re-election in his rural district by less than one point — at the same time that Donald Trump won there by almost 15 points. When he ran for governor in 2018, Walz embraced gun control measures and disavowed his past N.R.A. support. In his first term, he presided over a divided State Legislature and had a productive working relationship with Republicans. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fbriefing%2Fkamala-harris-tim-walz-running-mate.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fbriefing%2Fkamala-harris-tim-walz-running-mate.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fbriefing%2Fkamala-harris-tim-walz-running-mate.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F07%2Fbriefing%2Fkamala-harris-tim-walz-running-mate.html).

Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, sat down this afternoon with a CNN anchor for an interview that was set to air at 9 p.m. Eastern. [It is Harris’s first major television interview](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/08/29/us/harris-trump-election) since she became the Democratic nominee for president. It’s a high-stakes moment. Harris’s nascent campaign has fueled a surge in enthusiasm among Democratic voters, and a [significant uptick in the polls](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/us/elections/polls-president.html). But she has mostly avoided extended engagements with journalists. “We have not had a chance to hear her be pressed on specific policy issues, nor has she dealt with even remotely challenging questions about what her administration would be like,” our politics reporter Reid Epstein told me. When Harris is asked about policy, Reid said, it will be interesting to see if she engages with the details or mostly tries to turn the conversation toward warnings about Donald Trump. Her answers could help define her campaign for voters, and will test her political dexterity. The first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years was confirmed in a baby, Abdul Rahman Abu al-Jidyan.Credit...Ramadan Abed/Reuters Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F29%2Fbriefing%2Fharris-interview-cnn-walz-school-nurses-advice.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F29%2Fbriefing%2Fharris-interview-cnn-walz-school-nurses-advice.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F29%2Fbriefing%2Fharris-interview-cnn-walz-school-nurses-advice.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F08%2F29%2Fbriefing%2Fharris-interview-cnn-walz-school-nurses-advice.html).

When Harvey Epstein went to sleep on Saturday night, he was a low-profile New York State assemblyman. When he woke up on Sunday morning, he was something of an internet celebrity. Mr. Epstein was the subject of a “Saturday Night Live” sketch this weekend that spoofed his name — a somewhat unfortunate mash-up of the names of two notorious sexual predators, [Harvey Weinstein](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/nyregion/weinstein-new-york-case-timeline-metoo.html) and Jeffrey Epstein. The show’s host, the comedian John Mulaney, starred as Harvey Epstein in a campaign ad featuring the candidate struggling to explain to voters that he is neither of the disgraced men. Harvey Epstein is running for the New York City Council in District 2, which includes Greenwich Village, the Lower East Side and parts of southeastern Manhattan. “Look is my name ideal? Of course not,” Mr. Mulaney says in the sketch as he walks down a street in a bald cap and hoop earrings to mimic the assemblyman’s look. “I share names with two of the most notorious sex perverts of all time.” He adds, “But thankfully, I’m a different guy.” The camera pans to two lawn signs — one for Harvey Epstein and another that reads “No Relation.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F03%2Fnyregion%2Fharvey-epstein-snl-skit.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F03%2Fnyregion%2Fharvey-epstein-snl-skit.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F03%2Fnyregion%2Fharvey-epstein-snl-skit.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F03%2Fnyregion%2Fharvey-epstein-snl-skit.html).

**SOURCE CODE: My Beginnings**, by Bill Gates When I first heard rumors that Bill Gates had been working on a memoir, my curiosity was piqued. The tech mogul and philanthropist has cut an unusual figure, and not just because of his pioneering role in the software boom as the co-founder of Microsoft, or the billions he has poured into global health through his foundation. In 2021, his 27-year marriage to Melinda French Gates ended after she filed for divorce. Reports trickled out about [overtures to female staffers](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/16/business/bill-melinda-gates-divorce-epstein.html) and [extramarital affairs](https://www.wsj.com/articles/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates-affair-russian-bridge-player-8b2022ff?mod=hp_lead_pos1). Beginning in 2011, he met several times with the sex offender [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/12/business/jeffrey-epstein-bill-gates.html), who by then had pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution of a minor. Gates has since explained that he only agreed to meet Epstein in order to discuss philanthropy, and expressed [regrets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNAwUxZ5nfw) for doing so. Unlike a new generation of tech billionaires, Gates has not gone MAGA (though he did have [a three-hour-long dinner with Donald Trump](https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/bill-gates-donald-trump-meeting-e54fc20d) after the 2024 election, and came away [“impressed”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LL-ynK_exM)). Gates, who turns 70 in October, has published other books, but these were dutiful volumes about [technology](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/99/01/03/specials/gates-road.html) and [pandemics](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/19/opinion/bill-gates-pandemic-preparedness-covid.html) and [climate change](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/15/books/review/bill-gates-how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster.html). A memoir would offer him the chance to reflect and expand on what has been an undeniably eventful life. What might he have to say? Not much, it turns out — at least not yet. “Source Code,” the first of three projected volumes, begins in earnest with his birth in Seattle, in 1955, and ends before 1980, when the young startup Microsoft embarked on the road to personal-computing [dominance](https://www.theregister.com/2007/07/30/msdos_paternity_suit_resolved/) with the MS-DOS operating system. Such a limited time frame allows Gates to roam freely in the memory palace of his youth without getting tangled in the thickets of his later life. The voice in this book is upbeat, wryly self-deprecating and unflaggingly congenial. (In his acknowledgments, Gates credits Rob Guth with “extracting, guiding and giving form to my memories.”) His early years are recounted with wholesome scenes of jigsaw puzzles and gunnysack races. Gates spent lots of time with his Gami, his mother’s mother, who fed him Ritz crackers with peanut butter and taught him how to excel at card games. He recalls the stirrings of the relentless competitiveness that would later make him rich (and arguably get Microsoft into [some antitrust trouble](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/14/business/google-antitrust-microsoft-precedent.html)) when, at the age of 8, he helped raise money for the Cub Scouts by selling 179 pounds of nuts. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F30%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fsource-code-bill-gates.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F30%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fsource-code-bill-gates.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F30%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fsource-code-bill-gates.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F30%2Fbooks%2Freview%2Fsource-code-bill-gates.html).

For days, Attorney General Pam Bondi had talked about releasing the “Epstein files,” supposedly secret documents the federal government has on some of the powerful men who were in the orbit of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. But the roughly 200 [pages of documents](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files) that Ms. Bondi released on Thursday contained little new information pointing to wrongdoing by anyone [other than Mr. Epstein](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/03/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-court-documents.html), a registered sex offender who died in jail. The document dump largely consisted of flight logs for Mr. Epstein’s planes — long ago made public — and contact information for hundreds of associates, along with brief descriptions of items found at his residences. The release was billed as a gesture ushering in a new era of transparency at the Justice Department. But the hyped first release of documents (which Ms. Bondi teased as “breaking news” [in a Fox News appearance](https://www.fox9.com/news/epstein-files-release) on Wednesday night) appeared to be mostly political theater. Its confusing daylong rollout even spun off a few new conspiracy theories among some Trump supporters, who view the Epstein investigation as a fountainhead for other conspiracies. On Thursday afternoon, Ms. Bondi and Kash Patel, the director of the F.B.I., offered a sneak preview of the documents to several conservative influencers, some of whom emerged from the West Wing waving chunky white binders with the label “The Epstein Files: Phase I.” One of them later called it an [“interesting souvenir.”](https://x.com/WatchChad/status/1895177559085633549) But by midafternoon, the Justice Department had not posted the contents. And Ms. Bondi was drawing criticism on social media from those who had taken her at her word the night before. The conservative personality Glenn Beck [posted on X](https://x.com/glennbeck/status/1895207514641232073): “The Epstein files are a total joke,” and asked, “Who is subverting POTUS?” Ms. Bondi responded by promising more documents to come. Later, she said that a “source” in the F.B.I. field office in New York City had told her the bureau withheld “thousands” of previously unknown pages of Epstein-related documents and that she was determined to get them, according to a letter her spokesman provided to reporters. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F27%2Fbusiness%2Fjeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F27%2Fbusiness%2Fjeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F27%2Fbusiness%2Fjeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F27%2Fbusiness%2Fjeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi.html).

The US justice department has released additional files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein). The justice department [gave a statement](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files) on Thursday evening, saying the release largely contained documents that had been “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government”. “This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” said US attorney general [Pam Bondi](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/pam-bondi). In recent weeks, Bondi had [indicated](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6369186107112) that the justice department would release files related to Epstein, who [died by suicide](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-dead-prison-report-latest) in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. During an [interview with Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6369373573112) on Wednesday, Bondi, who was [sworn in as attorney general](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/pam-bondi-confirmed-trump-attorney-general) earlier this month, said: “I think tomorrow … you’re going to see some Epstein information being released by my office.” “What you’re going to see hopefully tomorrow is a lot of flight logs, a lot of names, a lot of information” on Epstein, she said, adding: “It’s pretty sick what that man did.” She told the network that there are “well over 250 victims” connected to Epstein and that her department was working on protecting their identities and personal information. On Thursday, a group of individuals [was spotted](https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-files-pam-bondi-trump-1a6af3e9fa1cfb6d267985a971a4929a) [leaving the White House](https://x.com/thehill/status/1895177995423244582) carrying binders labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1”. Among them was Rogan O’Handley, a conservative political commentator, who shared [on social media](https://x.com/DC_Draino/status/1895180633053200563) that he had met with Bondi, as well as Donald Trump, JD Vance and FBI director Kash Patel in the Oval Office on Thursday. “They handed me a binder copy of the Epstein Files,” he said. “This is the most transparent administration in American history.” “This is just the start,” O’Handley continued. “AG Bondi confirmed there are thousands more Epstein File documents being secretly held in the SDNY and they will be delivered to the DOJ in DC by February 28 People will be going to jail for what they’ve done.” Over the past few years, troves of documents and records have been released through lawsuits, criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests. In January 2024, a court unsealed [additional court records](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/03/who-is-jeffrey-epstein-list-court-documents-explained) that had been gathered as part of a lawsuit filed against Epstein’s former girlfriend, [Ghislaine Maxwell](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ghislaine-maxwell), in 2015 by one of Epstein’s victims, [Virginia Giuffre](https://apnews.com/article/ghislaine-maxwell-entertainment-lifestyle-virginia-prince-andrew-60348f70fd605c26c26615ffc5ed5f14). [ Third batch of Jeffrey Epstein documents unsealed ](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/05/jeffrey-epstein-documents-unsealed) While the documents offered some details and context about Epstein’s connections with influential figures, much of the information and the names of public figures mentioned in the documents [were already known to the public](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/04/release-of-epstein-documents-crashes-court-website-but-details-are-less-scandalous). Last week, when asked on Fox News whether the justice department would be releasing a list of Epstein’s clients, Bondi said: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump.” During last year’s presidential campaign, Trump, who knew Epstein, mentioned on a podcast that he would [consider releasing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbfTN-caFI) the rumored records related to Epstein. Earlier this month, a new [congressional taskforce was established](https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-taps-luna-to-lead-task-force-on-declassification-and-transparency/) to “examine the declassification of materials in the public interest”. When [announcing the taskforce](https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-taps-luna-to-lead-task-force-on-declassification-and-transparency/), the representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican leading the initiative, stated that the group would investigate the Epstein client list, as well as documents related to political assassinations, the origins of Covid-19, the September 11 files and more. This week, Luna appeared to put pressure on Bondi to release the Epstein files. “Reaching out on X because we can’t seem to get a response from the AG,” Luna said in [a Tuesday post](https://x.com/RepLuna/status/1894182219318514063) on social media. “@AGPamBondi what is the status of the documents? These documents were ordered to be declassified.”

If you’re running the security directorate of a hostile nation, savor this moment. It’s never been easier to steal secrets from the United States government. Can you even call it stealing when it’s this simple? The Trump administration has unlocked the vault doors, fired half of the security guards and asked the rest to roll pennies. Walk right in. Take what you want. This is the golden age. In its first two months, the Trump administration has made move after move that exposes the government to penetration by foreign intelligence services. It’s not just the [group chat about forthcoming military strikes](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/) that The Atlantic revealed on Monday — although that was, to be clear, as audacious and ridiculous a security breach as there has been in decades. The administration short-circuited the process for [conducting background checks on top officials](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/white-house-orders-halt-fbi-background-checks-senior/story?id=119735530), turned [tens of thousands of people](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-administration-says-working-reinstate-24000-fired-federal-worker-rcna196897) with access to government secrets into disgruntled ex-employees and announced it was lowering its guard against [covert foreign influence operations](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/trump-eric-adams-make-america-corrupt-again-1235263142/). It installed one of Elon Musk’s satellite internet terminals on the roof of the White House, seemingly to [bypass security controls](https://www.wired.com/story/white-house-starlink-wifi/), and gave access to some of the [government’s more sensitive systems](https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-digital-coup-doge-data-ai/) to a teenager with a history of [aiding a cybercrime ring](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-staffer-big-balls-provided-tech-support-cybercrime-ring-records-show-2025-03-26/), who goes by the nickname [Big Balls](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/21/politics/doge-musk-edward-coristine-invs/index.html). In his first term, President Trump caused an uproar by [revealing intelligence to the Russian ambassador](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html) that was routinely withheld from America’s actual allies. This is something different: the erosion of America’s ability to keep any secrets at all. The second Trump administration is treating security like just another stale Washington convention, an annoying impediment to its ambitions to move fast, break the bureaucratic state and replace it with an all-powerful executive. The bros in tech and finance don’t have to deal with these creaky, fussy restraints. Why should the White House? Major adversaries pray for this level of chaos, confusion and opportunity. A [secretive Chinese network](https://www.reuters.com/world/china/secretive-chinese-network-tries-lure-fired-federal-workers-research-shows-2025-03-25/) is trying to recruit fired U.S. government workers. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service states with “high confidence” that foreign adversaries are trying to “[capitalize](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/28/politics/us-intel-russia-china-attempt-recruit-disgruntled-federal-employees/index.html)” on the Trump administration’s mass layoffs. But the Chinese Ministry of State Security or the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate aren’t the only ones who stand to profit from the Trump administration’s disregard for even minimal operational security. Intelligence gathering has become easier for everyone. So-called [zero-click](https://citizenlab.ca/2023/04/nso-groups-pegasus-spyware-returns-in-2022/) spyware is now sold to regimes and corporations around the globe. Apple has [notified users in 150 countries](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102174) that they’ve been targeted. A program from a single Israeli spyware maker, the NSO Group, has been [deployed](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2021/jul/18/viktor-orban-using-nso-spyware-in-assault-on-media-data-suggests) in Saudi Arabia, Spain, Hungary, India, Mexico and Rwanda. “Now the junior varsity countries can come in and succeed,” Frank Figliuzzi, the F.B.I.’s former assistant director for counterintelligence, told me. “You don’t need to be very sophisticated.” This should be the time to batten down the hatches. But the Trump administration has other priorities. Around [1,000 F.B.I. agents](https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-pushes-fbi-review-release-epstein-files-amid/story?id=119982513) have been diverted from their regular duties to scrub the case files of Jeffrey Epstein. (Even in New York City — a [hotbed](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/eric-adams-foreign-corruption-agent-bribery-spies-1235113661/) of [foreign intelligence](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/nyregion/mcgonigal-fbi-sentencing.html) activity — the F.B.I. field office is “[all hands on deck](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/epstein-case-review-fbis-new-york?srsltid=AfmBOopGhdVmn9hDpv3fSIDthYrnxSkwyVtuUnQhZDDZRsFysg0bQa9I)” on the Epstein review.) Meanwhile, the Justice Department stopped its investigations into the [possible compromise of New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams](https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-adams-emil-bove-sdny-justice-dept?srsltid=AfmBOoodVHlMsC008Xs3AXYjOK8K4beyTutmkU74Jj4rDpIZGNScFDtK) by foreign governments. A seven-agency effort to [counter Russian sabotage and cyberattacks](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-suspends-some-efforts-counter-russian-sabotage-trump-moves-closer-putin-2025-03-19/) has been put on hold. Personnel from the bureau’s counterterrorism division have been newly asked to pursue those who [vandalize Teslas](https://nypost.com/2025/03/24/us-news/fbi-launches-task-force-to-nail-criminals-behind-fiery-tesla-attacks/), while the new Joint Task Force Oct. 7 investigates “[illegal support of Hamas on our campuses](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-launch-joint-task-force-october-7).” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F26%2Fopinion%2Famericas-security-blunder-is-the-gift-of-a-lifetime.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F26%2Fopinion%2Famericas-security-blunder-is-the-gift-of-a-lifetime.html) for all of The Times. 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[Mark Carney](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/world/canada/mark-carney-liberal-election.html) was just days away from announcing his bid to lead Canada’s Liberal Party in January when his face popped up on a viral right-wing Facebook page. Two photographs showed Mr. Carney, who [became prime minister](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/world/canada/canada-prime-minister-mark-carney-trump.html) last month, at a garden party beside [Ghislaine Maxwell](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/nyregion/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-epstein.html), a convicted sex trafficker and former confidante of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. There was no evidence that Mr. Carney and Ms. Maxwell were close friends, and his team dismissed the pictures as a fleeting social interaction from more than a decade ago. But they were perfect fodder for Canada Proud, a right-wing Facebook page with more than 620,000 followers. For days, Canada Proud posted about the images, including in paid ads that repeatedly said Mr. Carney had been “hanging out with sex traffickers.”  On Facebook, Canada Proud published some misleading posts about Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite and convicted sex trafficker.  On Facebook, Canada Proud published some misleading posts about Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ghislaine Maxwell, the socialite and convicted sex trafficker. Source: Facebook By The New York Times This type of online content — hyperpartisan and often veering into misinformation — has become a staple in the Facebook and Instagram feeds of Canadians as the country heads toward a crucial federal election on April 28. While such posts have become familiar in political campaigns everywhere, the content is especially prominent in Canada during its first-in-the-world, long-term [news ban on Facebook and Instagram](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/02/business/media/meta-news-in-canada.html). Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, [blocked news](https://about.fb.com/news/2023/06/changes-to-news-availability-on-our-platforms-in-canada/) from its apps in Canada in 2023 after a new law required the social media giant to pay Canadian news publishers a tax for publishing their content. The ban applies to all news outlets irrespective of origin, including The New York Times. The Facebook page for Canada Proud rivals the official Facebook pages for Canada’s top political party leaders. Six-day moving average Source: Facebook By The New York Times  A Facebook post this month from Canada Proud cited a mainstream news report but added a false suggestion that Mr. Carney was suspending his campaign after a controversy over China.  A Facebook post this month from Canada Proud cited a mainstream news report but added a false suggestion that Mr. Carney was suspending his campaign after a controversy over China. Source: Facebook By The New York Times  Clicking on a Facebook ad led some Canadian users to a website that masqueraded as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation but was an advertisement for a trading platform.  Clicking on a Facebook ad led some Canadian users to a website that masqueraded as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation but was an advertisement for a trading platform. Source: Facebook By The New York Times Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F21%2Ftechnology%2Fcanada-election-facebook-instagram-meta.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F21%2Ftechnology%2Fcanada-election-facebook-instagram-meta.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F21%2Ftechnology%2Fcanada-election-facebook-instagram-meta.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F21%2Ftechnology%2Fcanada-election-facebook-instagram-meta.html).

Virginia Giuffre, a former victim of [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-suicide.html)’s sex-trafficking ring who said she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” as a teenager to rich and powerful predators, including Prince Andrew of Britain, died on Friday at her farm in Western Australia. She was 41. Ms. Giuffre died by suicide, according to a statement by the family. Ms. Giuffre (pronounced JIFF-ree) wrote in an [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/virginiarobertsrising11/p/DH0vvDKzDvu/) post in March that she was days away from dying of renal failure after being injured in an automobile crash with a school bus that she said was traveling at nearly 70 m.p.h. In 2019, Mr. Epstein was arrested and charged by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York with sex-trafficking and conspiracy, accused of soliciting teenage girls to perform massages that became increasingly sexual in nature. Barely a month after he was apprehended, and a day after documents were released from Ms. Giuffre’s successful defamation suit against him, Mr. Epstein was [found hanged in his cell](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-suicide.html) in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan. His death, at 66, was ruled a suicide. In 2009, Ms. Giuffre, identified then only as Jane Doe 102, sued Mr. Epstein, accusing him and [Ghislaine Maxwell](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/28/nyregion/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-epstein.html), his co-conspirator and the daughter of the disgraced British media magnate Robert Maxwell, of recruiting her to join his sex-trafficking ring when she was a minor under the guise of becoming a professional masseuse. Ms. Giuffre in 2023 with a photo of herself as a teenager. She said she was recruited to Mr. Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring as a minor and that she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” among his powerful friends.Credit...Emily Michot/Miami Herald, via Tribune News Service, via Getty Images Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F25%2Fus%2Fvirginia-giuffre-dead.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F25%2Fus%2Fvirginia-giuffre-dead.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F25%2Fus%2Fvirginia-giuffre-dead.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F04%2F25%2Fus%2Fvirginia-giuffre-dead.html).

Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent victims of the disgraced US financier [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein) who also [alleged she was sexually trafficked to Prince Andrew](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/15/prince-andrew-and-virginia-giuffre-reach-settlement-in-principle), has died aged 41. Her family issued a statement on Saturday confirming she took her own life at her farm in Western Australia, where she had lived for several years. “It is with utterly broken hearts that we announce that Virginia passed away last night at her farm in Western Australia. She lost her life to suicide, after being a lifelong victim of sexual abuse and sex trafficking,” the statement read. “In the end, the toll of abuse is so heavy that it became unbearable for Virginia to handle its weight.” Giuffre was one of the most vocal victims of Epstein, alleging she had been groomed and sexually abused by him and his longtime associate, [Ghislaine Maxwell](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ghislaine-maxwell), beginning in her teens. [](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/26/virginia-giuffre-suicide-dead-aged-41#img-2) Virginia Giuffre with a photograph of herself as a teenager. Photograph: Miami Herald/Tribune News Service/Getty The family described her as a “fierce warrior” against sexual abuse and sex trafficking and a “light that lifted so many survivors”. “Despite all the adversity she faced in her life, she shone so bright. She will be missed beyond measure,” they said. Giuffre is survived by her three children, Christian, Noah and Emily, who her family said were the “light of her life”. “It was when she held her newborn daughter in her arms that Virginia realised she had to fight back against those who had abused her and so many others,” they said. “There are no words that can express the grave loss we feel today with the passing of our sweet Virginia. She was heroic and will always be remembered for her incredible courage and loving spirit.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/26/virginia-giuffre-suicide-dead-aged-41#img-3) Virginia Giuffre holds a news conference outside a New York court in 2019. Photograph: Bebeto Matthews/AP Giuffre’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, said she was “much more than a client”. “She was a dear friend and an incredible champion for other victims. Her courage pushed me to fight harder, and her strength was awe-inspiring,” McCawley said. “The world has lost an amazing human being today. Rest in peace, my sweet angel.” Giuffre’s representative Dini von Mueffling said she was “one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever had the honour to know”. “Deeply loving, wise, and funny, she was a beacon to other survivors and victims. She adored her children and many animals,” she said. “She was always more concerned with me than with herself. I will miss her beyond words. It was the privilege of a lifetime to represent her.” Josh Schiffer, a lawyer who represents one of Epstein’s victims, said Giuffre was integral to exposing the financier. “The case wouldn’t have existed without the input, her cooperation, her bravery at the beginning, inspiring so many other people to come forward,” he told the US cable network NewsNation. Schiffer said: “Her loss will hopefully be a marker and almost an inspiration for people to calling attention to the epidemic that is sex trafficking, that is the international sex industry. This is an issue that still persists. It changes its form all the time and it exists all around the world. This just happened to be a really prominent example.” Western Australia police did not publicly confirm Giuffre had died, but said emergency services responded to reports a 41-year-old woman was unresponsive at a home in Neergabby, about 75km north of Perth, about 9.50pm on Friday. The woman was given emergency first aid but was pronounced dead, they said. The death will be investigated but is not considered suspicious. Earlier this month, Giuffre posted on social media that she had [just days to live after a school bus crashed into her car](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/31/virginia-giuffre-jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew). WA police later confirmed a 41-year-old woman was in a car that collided with a bus on 24 March but there were no reported injuries. It is understood Giuffre presented to a Perth hospital emergency department on 1 April. [](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/26/virginia-giuffre-suicide-dead-aged-41#img-4) Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell. Photograph: US Department of Justice/PA Giuffre, who is American, said she met Maxwell, a British socialite, in 2000 when working as a locker-room assistant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Maxwell offered her a job as massage therapist to Epstein, during which she alleged she was trafficked to the financier’s friends and clients – “passed around like a platter of fruit”. In a 2009 civil lawsuit against Epstein, under the pseudonym “Jane Doe 102”, she alleged that her duties included being “sexually exploited by Epstein’s adult male peers including royalty”. Giuffre reached a settlement with Epstein in that case before it went to trial. In 2021, Giuffre [filed a civil lawsuit](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/aug/09/virginia-giuffre-sues-prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein) against [Prince Andrew](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/prince-andrew) in the federal court in New York, alleging he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17. Andrew has repeatedly and strongly denied the accusations. In the lawsuit, Giuffre alleged Epstein and Maxwell had introduced her to Andrew in 2001, and alleged that Maxwell forced her to have sex with Andrew. In 2022, [Andrew and Giuffre agreed to an out-of-court settlement](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/15/prince-andrew-and-virginia-giuffre-reach-settlement-in-principle#:~:text=The%20Duke%20of%20York%20has,family%20from%20further%20reputational%20damage.) for an undisclosed sum. Maxwell, who has maintained her innocence, [was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/28/ghislaine-maxwell-sentencing-sex-trafficking-epstein) for sex trafficking. Epstein was [arrested by federal authorities in July 2019](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/07/jeffrey-epstein-charged-with-sex-trafficking-reports-say) and charged with sex-trafficking counts. Shortly after, he [died by suicide](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-dead-prison-report-latest) while awaiting trial. _In Australia, the crisis support service [Lifeline](https://www.lifeline.org.au/) is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). In the US, you can call or text the [National Suicide Prevention Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/) on 988, chat on [988lifeline.org](https://988lifeline.org/chat/), or [text HOME](https://www.crisistextline.org/) to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at [befrienders.org](http://www.befrienders.org/)_

In just the last month, the Supreme Court has heard three important religion cases, culminating in yesterday’s argument over a Catholic charter school in Oklahoma. Judging from the justices’ questioning, the side pressing religious-freedom claims seemed likely to prevail in all three. That would extend a remarkable winning streak for religion at the Supreme Court. Since 2012, the pro-religion side has won all but one of 16 First Amendment cases about the government’s relationship with faith. (The exception: The court rejected a challenge to the first Trump administration’s ban on travel from several predominantly Muslim countries.) The court has been especially active in cases involving religious education. It said if the government was helping private schools, it couldn’t exclude religious ones. It exempted religious schools from anti-discrimination laws. In one pending case, the justices seemed poised to let parents with religious objections withdraw their children during discussions of gay and transgender themes. Yesterday they seemed likely to let a Catholic organization start a charter school in Oklahoma — which would make it the first religious school to get state charter funds. [A 2021 study](https://epstein.wustl.edu/religionincourt) of religion rulings since Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court in 2005 found that the Roberts court ruled in favor of religious people and groups over 83 percent of the time, compared with about 50 percent of the time for other courts since 1953. “In most of these cases, the winning religion was a mainstream Christian organization, whereas in the past pro-religion outcomes more frequently favored minority or marginal religious organizations,” the study’s authors — Lee Epstein, of Washington University in St. Louis, and Eric Posner, of the University of Chicago — wrote. If the court rules in favor of religious claims in all three of the pending cases, that figure will rise to 88 percent. Outside the Supreme Court.Credit...Anna Rose Layden for The New York Times Regardless of what the justices decide about yesterday’s Oklahoma case, state money is already helping faith bloom in American education. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F05%2F01%2Fbriefing%2Freligion-in-schools.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F05%2F01%2Fbriefing%2Freligion-in-schools.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F05%2F01%2Fbriefing%2Freligion-in-schools.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F05%2F01%2Fbriefing%2Freligion-in-schools.html).

In 1999, the future Barclays chief executive [Jes Staley](https://www.theguardian.com/business/jes-staley) was gearing up for his biggest job yet. As head of JP Morgan’s private bank, he would be in charge of a sprawling team that managed money and investments for some of the world’s richest people. Among them was the mysterious but well-connected billionaire [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein), with whom he would quickly develop a “fairly close professional relationship”. Staley was soon holidaying on Epstein’s private island, flying on his private plane, and gaining access to an impressive portfolio of ministers, entrepreneurs and royalty. The relationship ended up bolstering Staley’s profile on Wall Street and even connecting his daughter to senior figures at Ivy League universities. It also helped to end his career. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on child sex trafficking charges, accused of sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of girls at homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida. Some victims were as young as 14, US prosecutors alleged. Epstein, who was in jail as he awaited trial, [was found dead in his prison cell](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/10/jeffrey-epstein-dead-prison-report-latest) weeks later. The revelations about Epstein led to a media storm, bringing renewed attention to his former friends and business associates, including Staley. Barclays told the [Financial Conduct Authority](https://www.theguardian.com/business/financial-conduct-authority) in October 2019 that the pair “did not have a close relationship” and were last in contact “well before” Staley took over as chief executive four years earlier. But a subsequent FCA investigation, involving a cache of 1,200 emails from [JP Morgan](https://www.theguardian.com/business/jpmorgan), convinced the regulator it had been misled. It alleged that the pair were indeed close friends and stayed in touch via Staley’s daughter for years after he joined Barclays. [](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley#img-2) Jes Staley arrives at 10 Downing Street in January 2018. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters It was not Staley’s first run-in with the FCA, having been fined £642,000 for trying to unmask a whistleblower in 2018. It was, however, the final straw: he was issued a fine of £1.8m and banned from holding senior management roles in the City in 2023, leading to him losing about £18m worth of pay. The 68-year-old fought back in [an appeal this spring](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/14/jes-staley-case-evidence-barclays-fca), arguing that he had always been transparent with Barclays and had followed internal legal advice on the letter’s phrasing, which was meant to emphasise that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. Judges [on Thursday ruled in the FCA’s favour](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/jes-staley-loses-legal-case-over-city-ban-for-misleading-watchdog-over-epstein-links), upholding the lifetime City ban. March’s two-week tribunal hearing in London also gave the first public account of Epstein’s role in Staley’s life. This is what the court heard. The pair did not meet by chance, but on the recommendation of JP Morgan’s then chief executive, Douglas “Sandy” Warner, who felt that Epstein – already a client – was someone the newly appointed head of the private bank should know. The pair “got on well”, according to Staley’s lawyers, and Epstein’s career-boosting potential quickly became clear. He would refer wealthy friends to Staley, many of whom turned into JP Morgan clients. The two men occasionally socialised, Staley said, explaining that he would sometimes swing by Epstein’s home in Manhattan for a drink or dinner. And, from 2005, he took his family on the first of a handful of trips to Epstein’s Caribbean island, Little St James. Staley was adamant that Epstein was never part of his inner circle, was never invited to the family home, any “milestone birthdays”, or “personal meals in restaurants”. Staley said he had few personal friends and remains a loner. “From what I recall, Jes didn’t have very many friends,” his former chief of staff Sasha Wiggins told the court in March. And Staley said parts of Epstein’s life always remained a mystery. “I really didn’t know how much money he had,” Staley said. “What his background was, was always sort of shrouded.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley#img-3) One of Jeffrey Epstein’s properties on his private island, Little St James, US Virgin Islands. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters By 2006, the mask started to slip. Epstein was arrested after police in Florida were tipped off that he was recruiting young girls for massages and sexual encounters. He pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and in 2008 he was sentenced to 18 months in jail. Staley stayed in contact, though, and visited Epstein after his indictment. He said Epstein did not deny that he solicited a prostitute, but maintained that he thought the girls were over 18. “Obviously he lied to me,” Staley told the court in March. He visited Epstein again in around 2009, when he was on a prison work release programme in Florida. Staley said he reported the visit to JP Morgan, which was reviewing whether to keep Epstein as a client. But emails suggest he had been leaning on the imprisoned Epstein for advice throughout the financial crisis, writing in October 2008: “I am dealing with the Fed on an idea to solve things. I need a smart friend to help me think through this stuff. Can I get you out for a weekend to help me (are they listening?).” [](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley#img-4) Jeffrey Epstein in a photo taken in 2017 for the sex offender registry in New York. The court heard that Staley turned to Epstein to help connect his daughter – a physics major – with scientists and senior professors at Ivy League universities. The financier, who Staley referred to as “Uncle Jeffrey”, would later be invited to her graduation in 2015. Staley stressed that he did not then know of Epstein’s crimes. Wiggins told the court: “Mr Staley said to me once: ‘Why would I have introduced my wife and daughters to Mr Epstein if I thought he was a paedophile?’_”_ When Epstein was released on house arrest in July 2009, Staley was one of the four people he emailed to say: “Free and home.” Staley replied: “I toast your courage !!!!!” But more cryptic messages between the two stirred the most controversy, including an exchange about Disney princesses in July 2010. “That was fun. Say hi to Snow White,” Staley wrote. “What character would you like next?” Epstein asked, to which Staley replied: “Beauty and the Beast.” “Well one side is available,” Epstein responded. Staley told the court he was not able to explain the exchange. Months earlier, in September 2009, Epstein emailed a woman to say: “Jes staley is staying at the berkeley hotel in London tonight.” Staley said he could not recall the reason behind the message. That year Staley’s career took another leap, with his promotion to lead JP Morgan’s investment bank. Even the chief executive, Jamie Dimon, was singing his praises, [telling Fortune magazine](https://money.cnn.com/2010/04/16/news/companies/jp_morgan_staley.fortune/index.htm): “Jes has impeccable character and integrity.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley#img-5) Jeffrey Epstein with the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Photograph: Zuma Press/Alamy The new role meant Epstein was no longer a direct client. But that did not end their relationship, or Staley’s effusive messages. In November 2009, Staley detoured from a work trip to visit Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, replete with a 26,700sq ft mansion, private airstrip, and seven-bay heated garage. He emailed Epstein in thanks: “So when all hell breaks lose \[sic\], and the world is crumbling, I will come here, and be at peace. Presently, I’m in the hot tub with a glass of white wine. This is an amazing place … I owe you much. And I deeply appreciate our friendship. I have few so profound.” In December, months after Epstein’s release, the pair finally found time to meet in person. “I realize the danger in sending this email. But is \[sic\] was great to be able, today, to give you, in New York City, a long heartfelt hug. To my friend, Thanks. Jes.” At times, their emails were more explicit: discussing sex scandals and lovers. One message, sent from a debutante ball that Staley attended in November 2010, told Epstein that Staley had seen “your lover … she says u slept with her!!” Epstein separately sent photos, one of which was of a woman in a low-cut ballgown. “You were with Larry, and i had to put up with …,” Epstein wrote. When FCA lawyers suggested this interaction was a sign that he and Epstein were “personally close”, Staley said such behaviour was not uncommon between people who were “professionally close – you know, if you’ve ever worked on a trading floor on Wall Street”. Staley said there were parts of his life he kept from Epstein, including [having sex with a member of Epstein’s staff](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/13/ex-barclays-boss-claims-his-marriage-is-at-risk-after-admitting-to-sex-with-epstein-employee-in-court). “Oftentimes I would go to Epstein’s apartment and he would be late, and she and I got the chance to know each other.” This led to sexual intercourse, he said, “much to my embarrassment today”. The former banker, who has a wife and two daughters, said the confession came at a personal cost. “I have been honest such that I have put my marriage at risk … I have never shied away from telling the truth about all of this.” The date of the encounter was not disclosed in court, but the FCA revealed that Epstein’s former employee had “carved” Staley out of a settlement she had reached with Epstein’s estate. “I was not aware of that,” Staley told the court. Despite the allegedly secret encounter, Epstein and Staley would send messages declaring their close ties, referring to each other as family. In one exchange in March 2011, Epstein writes: “Told you −−−− family.” Staley replied with one word: “Family”. Behind the scenes, Epstein’s banking relationship with JP Morgan was starting to unravel. The bank was considering dumping Epstein as a client but was careful about broaching the issue with Staley, saying they were friends. “He needs to understand the potential backlash to the firm given all the work done to root out clients involved in human trafficking,” an internal memo said. [](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/26/high-flyer-to-pariah-saga-jeffrey-epstein-banker-jes-staley#img-6) Jes Staley leaving court in March 2025 following the first day of his tribunal appeal. Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters Staley tried to convince the bank’s top lawyer to “hear \[Epstein\] out”, according to a JP Morgan meeting note. He also revealed to Epstein that his transactions were under review. Staley admitted to sharing internal information with Epstein but denied having pushed the bank to keep him as a client. Panic had set in by September 2009, when Epstein told Staley a “family meeting was required”. Epstein was concerned about an “abusive reporter”, and instructed Staley on how to respond: “I think your response should be \[that\] all of the incidents that they raise happened a decade ago, I paid my debt and like everyone else should be given another chance.” Epstein said he had been “unaware of the full heat that you have taken as a result of our friendship”, adding: “I’m sorry.” Epstein hired a London lobbyist for a 2012 campaign to make Staley Barclay’s chief executive, dubbed “Project Jes”. In emails, the lobbyist claimed he hoped to convince top-level policymakers, including George Osborne, who was the then chancellor, and Mervyn King, the Bank of England governor, to support Staley. The banker said he never knew about the push. Barclays ultimately installed its own [head of retail and business banking](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/aug/30/barclays-new-chief-executive-antony-jenkins), Antony Jenkins, whose ousting three years later led to Staley’s leadership. In early 2013, Staley left JP Morgan, moving to the hedge fund Blue Mountain Capital. At this point, Staley claimed, his relationship with Epstein started to decline. But the FCA alleged that their communication did not wither, pointing to a string of emails in early 2013 in which the pair discussed dinner plans, new work phone numbers and planned meet-ups. Staley also kept up an annual tradition of emailing Epstein on New Year’s Eve. The declarations of friendship continued in January 2015, when Staley told Epstein: “The strength of a Greek army was that its core held shoulder to shoulder, and would not flee or break, no matter the threat. That is us.” That year, Epstein was back in the media’s crosshairs. An anonymous woman had [filed a lawsuit alleging she was repeatedly sexually abused](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/02/prince-andrew-named-us-lawsuit-underage-sex-allegations) by Epstein between 1999 and 2002, and that he had loaned her out to rich and influential men. By April that year, Staley had what he says was his last in-person meeting with Epstein, having again taken his family to visit the financier’s private island. “Thanks for the flight and thanks for the lunch. Your place is crazy, and special … I count u as a deep friend. The girls seemed to enjoy the sail. All the best Jes.” Within months, Staley was taking another stab at the [Barclays](https://www.theguardian.com/business/barclay) job, and kept Epstein abreast of developments. Weeks before the appointment, Staley emailed: “Cross your toes !!!” Staley was back in touch days before receiving his Barclays contract: “We’re very close.” The British tabloids, however, were circling, having already pounced on another prominent figure with ties to the convicted sex offender. News of Prince Andrew’s relationship with Epstein had caused a media frenzy [as early as 2011](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/mar/13/prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein), years before a disastrous BBC interview that led to the prince being forced to step back from public duties in 2019. Days before Staley was confirmed as Barclays’ new boss, the Mail on Sunday was chasing up claims that Epstein lobbied Barclays to hire Staley in both 2012 and 2015. Epstein forwarded the newspaper’s queries to Staley, who later replied: “Ok. I’m going to play is \[sic\] simple. I’ve known you as a client. I will tell B tomorrow. Let me know if they say something else. But stay away from them. I’m fine.” The article was published with the headline: “Andrew’s billionaire paedophile friend secretly backed new Barclays boss for job”. Staley said he cut contact with Epstein days later, following “strong advice” from Barclays. “I telephoned Mr Epstein and told him that we could not ever again have communication, which he accepted. The relationship ended there. I have had no communication with him since then,” Staley told the court. There is no evidence of direct contact between the two men after October 2015, but the FCA alleged they stayed in touch via Staley’s daughter until at least February 2017. Emails show that Epstein asked Staley’s daughter to ask the newly installed chief executive’s opinion on other bankers, to try to connect Staley with royalty in the Middle East, and to ask whether Staley was interested in a post with the US Treasury. Staley said he did not recall any of those conversations, and he did not realise at the time that his daughter and Epstein were still corresponding. The tribunal on Thursday raised concerns in its judgment about Staley’s evidence, saying he “could be inconsistent in his answers when he felt that it would suit his case”, adding that he had “shown no remorse for his conduct”. Judges have sided with the FCA, upholding its City ban and scuppering efforts to restore his reputation. And while the tribunal reduced his fine from £1.8m to £1.1m, this was to reflect pay he lost from Barclays as a result of the FCA ruling. It is not clear how much Staley has paid in legal costs trying to challenge the UK regulator. Staley said in a statement: “I am disappointed by the outcome and the time it took for this process to play out – that was entirely beyond my control. As the tribunal accepted, I was never dishonest. It took years of arguing with the authority and until November 2024 to establish that fact, and it took more time for the financial penalty to be reduced by 40%. “I have worked tirelessly for my prior employers for the entirety of my career. I am proud of the support I gave to many individuals during that career and the strategy I developed to help Barclays when it faced immense challenges. The tribunal recognised what they described as ‘my long and distinguished career’.”

A review of files held by the US government on the financier [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein) has said there is no secret client list to be released, and confirmed his August 2019 death by suicide while in federal custody, both of which contradict conspiracy theories. A memo said that a Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) review of the files – which has for years been teased as a treasure trove of information about a larger network of wrongdoing – concluded that no further charges are expected, as investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”. The justice department also [released hours of footage](https://www.justice.gov/video-files/video2.mp4?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) taken from Manhattan’s metropolitan correctional center, showing that no one entered or left the area where Epstein was held during, before or after the time medical examiners concluded he took his life. “As part of our commitment to transparency, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted an exhaustive review of investigative holdings relating to [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein),” the DOJ said. It added that the review included “digital searches of its databases, hard drives, and network drives as well as physical searches of squad areas, locked cabinets, desks, closets, and other areas where responsive material may have been stored”. The department said it had uncovered “a significant amount of material”, including more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence that included “a large volume of images of Epstein, images and videos of victims who are either minors or appear to be minors, and over ten thousand downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex abuse material and other pornography”. “Through this review, we found no basis to revisit the disclosure of those materials and will not permit the release of child pornography,” the memo said. Nor, the statement continued, did the review uncover an incriminating “client list” or find credible evidence that Epstein was involved in blackmailing prominent individuals. No further charges are expected in connection with the investigations into Epstein, the memo said, as investigators “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”. The attorney general, [Pam Bondi](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/pam-bondi), had previously promised the public release of scores of records related to Epstein, but an earlier release of documents did nothing to advance the conspiracy narratives that have emerged since his death. Soon after the memo was made public by [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-client-list-trump-administration), and later by the independent journalist Jessica Reed Kraus on Substack, Elon Musk voiced his disappointment, [posting an image to the social platform X](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1942132189229162960) of “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter,” set to “0000”. “What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again,” Musk captioned the photo. The billionaire CEO of Tesla, who is feuding with [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) after his work to gut federal government spending through the “department of government efficiency” (Doge) seemed to run counter to Trump’s recent bill that will massively increase the deficit, has previously intimated that Epstein file releases promised by the justice department had been stalled because Trump himself was implicated. “Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” he wrote. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT.” Trump dismissed Musk’s claims to NBC News: “That’s called ‘old news.’ That’s been old news. That has been talked about for years. Even Epstein’s lawyer said I had nothing to do with it – it’s old news,” he said. The justice department also said its review of the files was consistent with prior disclosures on the case and its review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims. “Each suffered unique trauma. Sensitive information relating to these victims is intertwined throughout the materials. This includes specific details such as victim names and likenesses, physical descriptions, places of birth, associates, and employment history. “One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”

 The Justice Department and the FBI have found no evidence that disgraced financier and convicted sex offender [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/30/nx-s1-5407856/conspiracy-theorists-dan-bongino-epstein-fbi) had a "client list" or that he blackmailed prominent associates. The conclusions are included in a [two-page memo](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline) outlining the "exhaustive review" the department conducted of the Epstein files in its possession. The memo also states that after a "thorough investigation," the FBI found that Epstein died by suicide, which aligns with previous department conclusions. The findings contradict past statements from Attorney General Pam Bondi about an alleged list of Epstein clients. And it's unclear if the memo will tamp down on the continued public skepticism about Epstein's case, particularly his suicide. Epstein died at a federal lockup in New York City in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death has fueled [numerous conspiracy theories](https://www.npr.org/2022/09/08/1121525125/heres-why-conspiracy-theories-about-jeffrey-epstein-keep-flourishing), particularly on the far right, because of his ties to the wealthy and powerful and the continued speculation surrounding his death. Axios was the first to report on the memo. Bondi has long promised to release documents from the Epstein investigation. She made public a small batch of files in February, and said the move was part of the administration's "commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators." That same month, she told Fox News in an interview that Epstein's client list was "sitting on my desk right now to review." More than four months later, the department memo directly contradicts her. "This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list.' There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions," the memo says. "We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties." Asked Monday about Bondi's previous remarks, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to play down the discrepancy. "She was saying the entirety of all the paperwork, all of the paper in relation to Jeffrey Epstein's crimes," Leavitt told reporters. "That's what the attorney general was referring to, and I'll let her speak for that." Leavitt added that the attorney general and the FBI director pledged, at Trump's direction, to conduct an exhaustive review of the Epstein materials "and that's what they did, and they provided the results of that. That's transparency." ### Suicide in line with prior findings, medical evidence The unsigned memo says the FBI and the department went through its investigative files related to Epstein—digital searches of databases, hard drives, network drives and physical searches of cabinets, desks and closets—to find any and all relevant materials. Epstein's died by suicide on Aug. 10, 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, according to the memo. It notes that the conclusions is consistent with previous findings, including those of the city's chief medial examiner, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan and the DOJ's inspector general. It says the conclusion his death was by suicide is also supported by video footage from the common area of the prison unit where Epstein was being held when he died. "Anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein's cell was located … would have been captured by this footage," the memo states. "The FBI's independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on Aug 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers." FBI Director [Kash Patel](https://www.npr.org/2025/06/05/g-s1-70449/fbi-kash-patel) and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have previously raised questions about the official account of Epstein and his death. Since taking top jobs at the bureau, though, they have publicly stated that Epstein killed himself. Both men faced backlash online from conspiracy theorists. The memo states that there are more than 1,000 victims of Epstein's abuse, and that sensitive information on those individuals is contained in the investigative files. It says that combatting child exploitation and providing justice to victims are top priorities, and that "perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends." "To that end, while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government's possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted," the memo says.

Great news, everyone! We can all stop thinking about Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with the sex trafficking of minors in 2019 and [found dead in his Manhattan jail cell](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/27/jeffrey-epstein-doj-watchdog-negligence-misconduct) shortly after, apparently of suicide. Great minds have looked into the case and discovered there is nothing more to uncover. So don’t waste your time wondering which powerful people might have been part of Epstein’s alleged trafficking operation. There’s nothing to see here – nothing at all. Case officially closed. That, in essence, was the message from the Trump administration over the weekend. On Sunday, [Axios reported](https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-client-list-trump-administration) on a memo from Trump’s justice department and the FBI that concluded there is no evidence that Epstein was involved in blackmailing people, kept a “client list” or was murdered. Most importantly, the memo said there is no “evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties”. This is a big deal because Trump and his lackeys have spent a lot of time and energy dangling Epstein-related conspiracy bait in front of their base, constantly insinuating that they’re on the verge of revealing the shocking truth about Epstein’s network of elite predators. When asked about an Epstein client list (the one that the new memo says is nonexistent) during a February appearance on Fox News, the US attorney general Pam Bondi said: “[It’s sitting on my desk right now to review](http://clicksp.doseofdemocracy.com/f/a/dJev82JGJQswe8AZaYFATw~~/AAPPABA~/NeIntALWeian58GcaxB0_gSZ4wTJNSVljc-pOdMnSRa34lgpGq4YtPWdcoJ2de1OPupGb4a89Qpjb_bbrcwuahanrsaTElI6RVd7Y4LDbJkQwKdwj4Yiv9laummD9z0-sYNc1Y3MR5Emu6nayeZFNeusBpee4BCpv8J1HLiCy082o-v3ves23FFN95LNj8D5OD878hwfVlukeWF3FgeaIxd1-m5M-VwvCmJ1dRooWaAeG-uE6ltEiUQbtq83bMxjIzlnMlEnMhmk3BZvwQFBax7j-Sr9OiYz6qzz_glg_rDpFu_m9Xuq9Eifhs20Nafw7Io3wln4cJw_D8OPkE93ArDGSYn-bMkCkrO_uTiyM10XAGte5a8c4wViYs05UfiWdEip5Kb9RrcPI4mt7HwzN9Z6O87V0ZItTr3-DMInA_Y~).” Shortly after that interview there [was a big to-do](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/01/epstein-files-trump-administration) where Epstein-obsessed Maga influencers were invited to the White House and given binders titled the Epstein Files, full of information that Bondi promised “[will make you sick](https://www.foxla.com/news/epstein-files-release)”. Shock horror, there was nothing new or notable in those binders and Maga had a meltdown. Now, a second Epstein-induced meltdown is in full swing. Elon Musk, who is back to publicly fighting with Trump, and has threatened to [start a new political party](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/06/trump-news-at-a-glance-elon-musk-announces-new-political-party-targeting-key-congressional-seats), has been [firing off jabs](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-justice-department-fbi-review-confirms) about the justice department’s Epstein U-turn. On Monday, Musk, who previously accused Trump of being in the Epstein Files, [retweeted a post](https://x.com/SarahisCensored/status/1942114841373646910) by a woman called Sarah Fields that said: “If the entire government is protecting paedophiles, it has officially become the government against the people.” Bit late figuring out the Trump administration doesn’t work for “the people” – but hey, welcome to the resistance, Elon! The conservative activist Robby Starbuck is also fuming. “Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was on her desk to review for release to the public just a few months ago,” Starbuck tweeted. “Now the DOJ she leads claims that there’s no Epstein client list. Sorry but this is unacceptable … [We deserve answers](https://x.com/robbystarbuck/status/1942051481542160409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1942051481542160409%7Ctwgr%5Ea83c55a38e83b7ef69a3316f2a459b84df04f9da%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Felon-musk-leads-maga-meltdown-over-trump-administrations-epstein-review%2F).” It’s always fun when the [Maga crowd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_America_Great_Again) realise what the people they propelled into power are really like. But why are rightwing voices the loudest on this topic? Starbuck is right that the current situation is unacceptable: _everyone_ should be demanding more answers about Epstein. Everyone should be outraged that there is only one person, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has actually faced justice in what was, by all accounts, a vast trafficking operation. Some people have paid in other ways – in 2023 Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $75m (£60m) to settle a lawsuit [brought by a group of women](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/may/18/deutsche-bank-agrees-to-pay-75m-to-settle-jeffrey-epstein-lawsuit) who accused it of helping facilitate Epstein’s operations – but Maxwell is the only person to have got prison time. There are, it should be said, a lot of ridiculous Epstein-related conspiracy theories circulating. Those obviously should not be indulged. But I’ll tell you what is not a conspiracy: the fact that there are a lot of high-status people who are very interested in covering up their association with the disgraced financier. It is not a conspiracy to say the US has a two-tier justice system where rich and powerful people can do terrible things and face no consequences. Earlier this year, Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Epstein victims, [died of suicide](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/26/virginia-giuffre-suicide-dead-aged-41). She was the [third Epstein accuser](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/03/jeffrey-epstein-virginia-giuffre) who is reported to have died of suicide or a drug overdose. Epstein destroyed countless lives. And he didn’t do it alone: he was enabled by “respectable” people who actively facilitated his crimes. And, more broadly, he was enabled by people who looked the other way, who helped whitewash his reputation, who hobnobbed with him in high society. Those people are still out there, living their best lives. And it is looking increasingly likely they will never be held accountable. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist _**Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our [letters](https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters) section, please [click here](mailto:[email protected]?body=Please%20include%20your%20name%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.).**_

Rightwing influencers in the US who are often aligned with [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) are angry that a joint justice department and FBI [memo](https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25992101/epstein.pdf) has dismissed the existence of a “client list” in the case against late sex offender [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein). The disgraced financier killed himself in a jail cell at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City in 2019 while awaiting [prosecution](https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jeffrey-epstein-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sex-trafficking-minors) on child sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges. Almost ever since, Epstein’s death has been the subject of conspiracy theories on the right, including a supposed “client list” that he purportedly used to blackmail wealthy co-conspirators. Trump’s presidential administration then created anticipation that the alleged list would be publicly disclosed, including the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, who had told [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/attorney-general-bondi-under-siege-after-doj-reveals-no-epstein-client-list) in an interview: “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.” But then a review conducted by the justice department and FBI “revealed no incriminating ‘client list’”, said an unsigned and undated memo first obtained by [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/jeffrey-epstein-suicide-client-list-trump-administration) on Sunday. The memo added: “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” Further, the two-page, undated and unsigned memo stated that the government holds roughly 300 gigabytes of the evidence against Epstein, but that much of it would never be released because it contained identifying details about victims of trafficking or child abuse imagery. “Only a fraction of this material would have been aired publicly had Epstein gone to trial – as the seal served only to protect victims and did not expose any additional third parties to allegations of illegal wrongdoing,” the memo stated. Those findings have prompted rightwing influencers who are frequently in favor of Trump’s policies to suggest that the federal government is protecting a powerful cabal of pedophiles. Some rightwing activists have even argued that the “deep state” – a term they use to describe what they purport to be a permanent government of bureaucrats and operatives in place to thwart Trump – is more muscular than they imagined. “Contextualizing all of this – this seems like unforgivable behavior,” conservative influencer Liz Wheeler said on the Glenn Beck show on Monday, according to the [New Republic](https://www.yahoo.com/news/remember-trump-binder-influencers-epstein-203415282.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL4q0XCM32DINgr18dCB5QfClAdNb0pdp1HpWOjdyhcTSqrWZ9QggfAj2BFgZpAfPCCyNaAwwftNDgXMbGuBPvhoOzECBdO48NKDy9ilLhepYy0x4CSrrM7JBMNCSr9DlgxMX7LSpGvHjM9gEtkYo1fVLbElSLmWaTSu4XfnoUXF). “Trump has to fire Pam Bondi,” said Keith and Kevin Hodge, known as the Hodge Twins on [social media](https://x.com/hodgetwins/status/1942049431810969700). “She went on camera and told the world she has the Epstein client list on her desk … Now they say there is no list??” Conspiracy theorist and Infowars host Alex Jones added in an X post: “Next the \[justice department\] will say, ‘Actually, [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/jeffrey-epstein) never even existed.’ This is over the top sickening.” [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/08/rightwing-jeffrey-epstein-client-list#EmailSignup-skip-link-14) Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion The White House in February had evidently tried to satiate rightwing influencers demanding new information about Epstein with binders relating to his case. But they contained little if any new information that wasn’t already publicly available. “How could \[Bondi\] give the American people those ‘phase 1’ binders that contained nothing?” Wheeler said after the new memo first reported by Axios. Asked about Epstein by a reporter at the White House on Tuesday, Trump irately deflected. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” Trump said. “This guy’s been talked about for years. “Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable.” He also claimed it “seems like a desecration” to discuss Epstein after the 4 July flash flooding in Texas that had killed more than 100 people. The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, had also previously been pressed about the administration’s statements with respect to Epstein. She recently argued Bondi used the term “client list” to refer to the entirety of evidence against Epstein. “She was saying the entirety of all of the paperwork, all of the paper, in relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, that’s what the attorney general was referring to, and I’ll let her speak for that,” Leavitt said.

Amid all the controversies of President Donald Trump’s second term so far, the one that may be causing him the biggest problems among his right-wing base is about a man who died six years ago: [Jeffrey Epstein](https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/1/4/24025802/jeffrey-epstein-list-unsealed-documents-bill-clinton-donald-trump). Epstein, the well-connected financier who was indicted for sex trafficking underage girls and died in prison in 2019, has been an obsession on the right ever since. [Online MAGA influencers](https://x.com/JDVance/status/1434146390217736192) and [Fox commentators](https://www.foxnews.com/video/6343135274112) have speculated for years that Epstein might have been murdered, that he was blackmailing powerful people, and that the US government is hiding information that would reveal what really happened. In 2024 and the initial months of 2025, Trump allies like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel — the current attorney general and FBI director, respectively — [played to the base](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ag-pam-bondi-says-some-epstein-files-coming-thursday-its-pretty-sick) and [egged on these theories](https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1863014973917606154), promising to release the “[Epstein Files](https://www.vox.com/politics/401996/jeffrey-epstein-files-influencers-pam-bondi).” But now they can’t — or won’t — deliver. On Monday, the Justice Department and FBI released a memo saying, basically, that they’ve got nothing. The memo says that, after a review, they found [no Epstein “client list” and no “credible evidence”](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline) that he blackmailed people. The memo also restated the FBI’s conclusion that Epstein killed himself. Key right-wing influencers reacted with [fury](https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1942291649729814975), [despair](https://newrepublic.com/post/197679/alex-jones-donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-report), or [contempt](https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1942582741712683024) — refusing to accept the administration’s assurances that there’s nothing to see here. Trump was deeply annoyed to be asked about this by a reporter on Tuesday. “[Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-slams-reporter-asking-about-creep-jeffrey-epstein-during-cabinet-meeting)” he snapped. Insisting there were much more important things in the news, he continued: “That is unbelievable. I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein.” Of course, Epstein has long been an awkward topic for Trump, considering that they were friendly, that they’ve been [photographed together](https://www.vox.com/2019/7/9/20686347/jeffrey-epstein-trump-bill-clinton), and that [Trump told a reporter Epstein was a “terrific guy”](https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/n_7912/#print) who liked women “on the younger side” all the way back in 2002. (These connections have been resolutely ignored by online right influencers.) Adding to the awkwardness, when Elon Musk fell out with Trump last month, [Musk claimed that Trump was “in the Epstein Files”](https://www.vox.com/politics/415599/elon-musk-trump-feud-bill-contracts-nasa) and that “that is the real reason they have not been made public.” (Ordinarily, the accusation from a top presidential adviser that the president was implicated in sex trafficking underage girls would be a gigantic scandal, but Musk does tend to make things up.) The idea that Trump could be covering up his own Epstein-related crimes makes the right feel so uncomfortable that they’ve largely dismissed it. Many prefer to [speculate that Epstein has ties to intelligence agencies](https://x.com/matthewschmitz/status/1942690645228835286) — either in the US or Israel — that the government doesn’t want to disclose. But if you’re a right-winger deeply bought into the belief that there must be more to the story, there are really only two possibilities: Either Trump, Bondi, and Patel are dupes getting snowed by the deep state, or they’re knowing participants in the cover-up. Epstein was a very wealthy financier who had a lot of famous friends, whom he often flew on his planes to his private island. He was also repeatedly accused, in criminal and civil proceedings, of sex trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls, including some as young as 14. A brush with the law over this in the mid-2000s ended in what was later derided as a sweetheart plea deal, but in July 2019, Epstein was arrested again — and then found dead in his cell the following month, in what authorities said was a suicide. The documented story of Epstein is bizarre and damning as it is. But, on both the left and the right, many have insisted the conspiracy must go far deeper. Did Epstein have secret sexual blackmail material on powerful and influential people — politicians, celebrities — who were also involved in abusing underage girls? How did he make his money? Was he working with US or foreign intelligence services? Was he actually murdered in a shadowy conspiracy to prevent him from telling what he knew? In particular, the online right has fixated on what they refer to as the “[Epstein list](https://www.vox.com/politics/2024/1/4/24025802/jeffrey-epstein-list-unsealed-documents-bill-clinton-donald-trump)” — an imagined document supposedly listing famous people who were co-conspirators in his sex crimes. The online right hoped this would be the promised smoking gun that would indisputably reveal that their political enemies are perverted criminals, disgracing them forever and likely leading them to be arrested. As such, it’s the latest variation of the [“QAnon” theory](https://www.vox.com/2020/10/9/21504910/qanon-conspiracy-theory-facebook-ban-trump), which argued that proof of a deep-state conspiracy to protect Democratic pedophiles was imminent. (Democrats’ hopes for a Trump “[pee tape](https://www.vox.com/2018/4/15/17233994/comey-interview-trump-pee-tape-russia)” could be said to serve a similar role.) Dark allusions to this theory are a proven strategy for aspiring MAGA influencers seeking online engagement. When JD Vance launched his political career in 2021, he [tweeted](https://x.com/JDVance/status/1434146390217736192): “Remember when we learned that our wealthiest and most powerful people were connected to a guy who ran a literal child sex trafficking ring? And then that guy died mysteriously in a jail? And now we just don’t talk about it.” Epstein first became a problem for Trump this year back in February, when Bondi [hyped an imminent release](https://www.vox.com/politics/401996/jeffrey-epstein-files-influencers-pam-bondi) of Epstein-related information. When a Fox host asked her if she’d release “the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients,” [Bondi answered](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/08/jeffrey-epstein-bondi-patel-trump/), “It is sitting on my desk right now, to review.” Bondi then invited right-wing influencers to the White House and gave them binders marked “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” — but the files turned out to contain no new or relevant information, and certainly no client list. Widespread bipartisan mockery ensued on social media. As part of Bondi’s damage control, her team [put out a letter](https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1895195194947183047) to Patel, in which Bondi claimed she’d asked for all the Epstein documents, but had been belatedly tipped off that the FBI’s New York field office was withholding thousands of pages. Bondi demanded they be handed over, and ordered Patel “to conduct an immediate investigation into why my order to the FBI wasn’t followed.” Months later, it’s clear that this, too, was BS. And now, Bondi’s DOJ and Patel’s FBI have claimed they don’t have any such client list. When Bondi was asked Tuesday about her old claim on Fox that the list was “on her desk,” she said she was just referring to the Epstein Files generally, and not a client list specifically. The simplest and most boring explanation for what happened here is that they really do have nothing — that the government is not sitting on bombshell intel as part of a massive cover-up of some secret Epstein conspiracy. That, when Bondi and Patel implied otherwise, they were pandering to the base, genuinely misinformed, or both. “When you’re a podcast guest or a podcast host, you can make a bunch of wild claims that you think are probably true, whatever, it’s just content,” conservative activist Will Chamberlain [posted on X](https://x.com/willchamberlain/status/1942662184238231561?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet). “When you’re a high-ranking official in the FBI, it’s not so simple.” Not everyone is satisfied with that. “The Epstein case isn’t over,” Glenn Beck [wrote](https://x.com/glennbeck/status/1942444247044734996). “It’s the Rosetta Stone of public trust. And if we don’t get to the bottom of it, we’ll never restore what’s already been lost.” See More: * [Culture](https://www.vox.com/culture) * [Influencers](https://www.vox.com/influencers) * [Internet Culture](https://www.vox.com/internet-culture) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [Trump Administration](https://www.vox.com/trump-administration)

MAGA influencers are furious that Trump’s FBI says no more Jeffrey Epstein secrets are forthcoming.  Photo-illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Sezeryadigar / Getty; Rick Friedman / Corbis / Getty. July 10, 2025, 5:41 PM ET The Trump administration had promised a bombshell. Americans, many of whom had spent years wondering over the unknowns in the Jeffrey Epstein case, would finally get their hands on the secret files that would explain it all. What _really_ happened when the accused sex trafficker died in jail back in 2019? And who was on his “client list”—a rumored collection of famous and powerful people who participated in Epstein’s crimes? In a September 2024 interview on the _Lex Fridman Podcast_, Donald Trump suggested that he would release the list if reelected. “Yeah, I’d be inclined to do the Epstein; I’d have no problem with it,” Trump said. He indulged speculation about Epstein after his reelection as well. In February, the White House hosted a collection of [MAGA-world influencers](https://newrepublic.com/post/197652/trump-binder-influencers-epstein-files-pissed) and gave them binders full of heavily redacted Epstein-related documents labeled Phase 1, suggesting more to come. The Trump administration has been unusually focused on messaging about such information, making a show of pulling the curtain back on supposed secrets. Trump similarly promoted the release of [further documents related to the John F. Kennedy assassination](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/03/jfk-file-dump-revealed/682147/), along with records on the killings of Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In an [executive order signed this January](https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-orders-declassification-of-jfk-rfk-and-mlk-assassination-files/), the administration framed these efforts as “PROVIDING AMERICANS THE TRUTH.” At an April hearing on those files, Nancy Mace, a Trump ally and representative from South Carolina, brought up the so-called Epstein list. In a meandering statement, she spoke about her desire to see documents regarding Epstein, as well as [Hunter Biden’s laptop](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/04/tech-companies-suppressed-biden-laptop/629680/) and the [origins of the coronavirus](https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2025/05/lab-leak-pandemic-trump-maga/682854/). All have been recurring internet fascinations among Trump’s supporters. “Sunshine literally is the best medicine,” Mace argued. A personal wish list of coveted secrets is not exactly the same thing as a principled call for government transparency. But the two are easy to conflate and can have some incidental overlap, which can be politically useful. The promise of previously withheld revelations has allowed Trump to frame himself as an outsider fighting on behalf of voters who have been kept in the dark by the establishment. The catch is that once he was back in office, he was put in the awkward position of having to deliver. On Monday, the FBI [released a memo](https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline) saying that it had reviewed all of its files on Epstein and that it does not plan to release more after all; there will be no Phase 2. According to the FBI, only a “fraction” of the remaining material would have become public if Epstein had lived to go to trial, because it includes “a large volume” of illegal content involving underaged victims of sexual abuse—in other words, material that cannot be released to the public. The memo also noted, in one breezy paragraph, that the bureau’s review had uncovered neither a client list nor evidence “that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.” There will be no new investigation against “uncharged third parties,” the memo said. This has come as a shock to a group of people who have long bought into the idea that Trump would one day unmask an evil ring of Democrats and liberal-coded celebrities. Anna Paulina Luna, a representative from Florida and the chair of the [Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets](https://oversight.house.gov/release/task-force-on-the-declassification-of-federal-secrets-announces-second-hearing-on-the-jfk-files-and-government-obstruction/), which facilitated the recent document releases regarding JFK, told me that she will be asking the Department of Justice to authorize the release of more Epstein details anyway. “I think the American people still have questions and there is stuff that they can release,” she said. She didn’t comment specifically on the existence of a client list and said she didn’t yet know exactly what kind of documents the FBI might still have (clarifying that she agreed that the bureau should not release any private details about victims or child-sexual-abuse material). In the meantime, the about-face on the Epstein files is splintering MAGA world, and many Trump allies are feeling betrayed and unmoored. “No one believes there is not a client list,” [wrote Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://x.com/RepMTG/status/1942536269734588790), the representative from Georgia who has avidly [promoted QAnon conspiracy theories](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/01/marjorie-taylor-greene-congress-georgia-election-background/672229/). “This is a shameful coverup to protect the most heinous elites,” one of the influencers who went to the White House in February, [Rogan O’Handley](https://x.com/DC_Draino/status/1942198188208709782) (who goes by “DC Draino”), told his more than 2 million X followers on Monday. Longtime Trump loyalists, including the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, started sharing a meme on Monday that depicted a bunch of cartoon lizard people laughing about having pulled one over on the unsuspecting public yet again. Strange—some readers may be old enough to remember when it was Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who were the shadowy reptilian elite, secretly shedding their human skin whenever out of public sight. Significant ire has been directed at Attorney General Pam Bondi, who responded to a question about a client list [in February](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bondi-says-epstein-client-list-sitting-my-desk-right-now-reviewing-jfk-mlk-files) by saying it was “sitting on my desk right now to review.” During a press conference on Monday afternoon, [White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi4eqS65UX8) said that Bondi had actually been referring to “the entirety of all the paperwork” on Epstein and not to a specific document. Shortly thereafter, the online crowd began questioning why Leavitt had not been wearing her usual cross necklace at the briefing—a sign, perhaps, that she was lying and didn’t want to do so in front of God (to paraphrase the posts, which were mostly ruder than that). When I asked Luna if Trump’s supporters had a right to feel frustrated, she deflected the question, saying, “I can’t speak for people on the internet or the president. What I can say is President Trump is on the cusp of negotiating a permanent cease-fire with Israel and Hamas in Gaza. This is overshadowing the amount of success the administration has had in that sense.” Yet this is undeniably a turning point for the highly online among Trump’s base. The story of the client list had effectively morphed into a more palatable and plausible version of [the QAnon conspiracy theory](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/). As does QAnon, it features a secret ring of evildoers, though it doesn’t have certain ostentatious elements of that conspiracy (no harvesting blood). But both theories encourage people to disbelieve everything the government tells them. Until now, Trump and his appointees were positioned as exceptions to that rule—the deal was that if they got back into power, they would reveal all. [From the June 2020 issue: The prophecies of Q](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/) Mark Fenster, a professor at the University of Florida’s law school who has written about government transparency and conspiracy theories, observed to me that, with his administrative appointments, Trump had made implicit promises to his supporters. “He specifically nominated people for high-level positions who have been engaged in conspiracy theories for the past five-plus years,” Fenster pointed out. For instance, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have offered wild theories about the Epstein case in the past—Patel [once suggested](https://x.com/OwenShroyer1776/status/1942601306973118578) that the FBI may be covering up evidence to protect unnamed elites, while Bongino [said he’d heard a rumor](https://x.com/LegendaryEnergy/status/1942232255247605955) that Epstein was a foreign intelligence agent. Now the conspiracy is mutating again to fit the administration’s reversal. “To hear Pam Bondi and to hear Kash Patel and Don Bongino saying there is no list—you’re going to say, ‘Well, they must be part of the conspiracy too,’” Fenster suggested, which is certainly one avenue people have gone down. Because the FBI’s memo coincided roughly with a diplomatic visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, others have started suggesting that Epstein was secretly a Mossad agent (a claim often expressed with anti-Semitic rhetoric). Alex Jones, who was initially furious about the FBI memo, has since speculated that Trump has actually taken “control” of the alleged list and is using it to blackmail the “deep state” behind the scenes. Of course, some have started picking apart the FBI memo itself. It concluded with links to two videos of a hallway in the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Epstein had been held, showing that nobody went into his cell the night of his death. Viewers quickly noticed that the clock in the corner of the video skips from 11:59:00 to 12:00:00, which suggested to them that a minute of footage was missing. On Tuesday afternoon, when a reporter [attempted to ask](https://x.com/atrupar/status/1942621806017331627) Bondi about the foreign-intelligence theory and the video-clock issue, Trump cut in. “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” he asked incredulously. “This guy’s been talked about for years. You’re asking—we have Texas, we have this, we have all of the things, and are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.” Bondi said she didn’t mind answering the question, but Trump went on. “I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this where we’re having some of the greatest success and also tragedy with what happened in Texas,” he said, referring to the [flooding](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/us/texas-floods-missing-search.html) that has killed at least 120 people. Eventually, he waved for Bondi to go ahead. She told the reporter she had no knowledge of Epstein being an agent, then explained that the video hadn’t been doctored and that the clocks on the outdated cameras in the Metropolitan Correctional Center always jump ahead as they approach midnight. From what I saw, hardly anyone online was buying this explanation, which comes as no surprise. Trump and his administration invited conspiracy theories into the White House. Now they’re going to have a hard time getting them out.